Travel agent in different country

[Hlitner]

The issue with Princess (and most cruise lines) is that when you set-up your online account (which is become a necessity) they generally ask for your full mailing address.  And even if that was not required, you will need to use your address when you enter a credit card.  The Princess "Ocean Ready" app requires your zip code when adding any credit card.

 

I am not sure how my Aussie friend deals with the credit card issue and I cannot reach him at this time.  

 

Hank

[GeezerCouple]

On 7/9/2023 at 7:59 AM, EVERTON1 said:

Hi all,

 

Has anyone ever used an online travel agent in a different country as they are a lot cheaper than booking direct with cruise company ?

I am in UK and have found USA travel agent offering same cruise with saving of £250 pp

 

Thanks

 

By the way, it's not really the fact that the TA is in a different country.

It's the country of residence for the traveler, whether it's stated or "left to be assumed" (as seems to be the case here...?).

We have been using a TA in a different country for quite a few years now, but our address is shown - correctly - as being in the USA, we pay in US$, and the terms are always the same terms as for any other USA resident.

 

We've done this for several cruises on a variety of different cruise lines (and cruise destinations), and for hotels and for airline tickets in many different countries/continents, and there's never been any kind of glitch.

GC

[drsel]

1 hour ago, Hlitner said:

The issue with Princess (and most cruise lines) is that when you set-up your online account (which is become a necessity) they generally ask for your full mailing address.  And even if that was not required, you will need to use your address when you enter a credit card.  The Princess "Ocean Ready" app requires your zip code when adding any credit card.

I am not sure how my Aussie friend deals with the credit card issue and I cannot reach him at this time.  

Hank

can't you choose to pay by cash and avoid giving your credit card information ?

[*Miss G*]

Both Princess and HAL are basically the same in the booking and credit card process.  My sister and I regularly cruise together.  She lives in England and I live in the US, so I do the bookings for the better pricing.  I can enter her credit card information into the online check-in using her UK address and email with no problem.  It has to match the credit card info on file, exactly, as she will get an alert that an international charge has been made and she must verify.  There are also no difficulties when making the booking payment by phone.  Again, it must be verified so she needs to be waiting for it to come in to push it through.

 

The only issue we have is with the assigned “Home City” airport code as the systems will not allow for a European home city.  They resolve this by assigning her mine.  However, this means that the application software will fight you when trying to book flights.  Luckily, this has never been an issue as she does not use cruiseline air to purchase flights.  I believe the home city airport code is there for repatriation purposes but we have never had to test that.

[*Miss G*]

On 7/16/2023 at 8:39 AM, Hlitner said:

Our Aussie friend has used the Canadian address for about 2 decades and apparently that is also the record on file with HALs Mariner Club.    He figured out, many years ago, that the cruise lines really do not go beyond the most basic steps in verifying residence  

 

I believe I can speak to this.  Prior to the implementation of the North American address requirement for US online agencies, my sister had already been using one.  After implementation she could still book with that agency.  She was told that the new rules didn’t apply because she was an existing customer, even with a UK address.